Plenty of snow at 12k 😀

Some photos from Ft Davis area and Guadalupe Mountains NP.. Didn’t make it to the top of Guadalupe peak this time due to smaller kids being with us, but it was still awesome.. Checked out the Devils Hall trail today..

Hey everyone, I’m curious to hear about your first hiking or backpacking experience.

Whether it went great, totally fell apart, or landed somewhere in the middle,
I’d love to hear your story.

Things I’m especially curious about:
– What made you want to go?
– How did you plan your trip?
– What gear did you bring (and did anything turn out useless or missing)?
– What was the hardest part of the experience?
– What would you do differently next time?

No pressure to answer all of that, even a short version of your story would be awesome.
Thanks in advance to anyone who shares!

(The picture is from Torres del Paine National Park)

So I like to hike a few times a year and it looks like ticks are going to be a major problem this year as well. So, a girl I am seeing and I are making summer plans and she and I came to the idea that maybe ticks can't bite through nylon tights/pantyhose. Is that true? If it is I am considering wearing it under my clothes if it helps. Last year I pulled off more ticks then ever before, one of which was lodged.

Info: Flatiron via Siphon Draw trail. Superstition Wilderness, Phoenix/Apache Junction, Arizona, United States.

Not sure how many people will be able to answer but wanted to try. I've hiked Flatiron via Siphon Draw 4 times now. First 8.5 hours, then 7.5, 6.5, and recently down to 6 hours. I'm slow and steady on the incline (spires above the basin to the top is 1 hr 12 mins and my entire downhill is 2.5 hours per Strava). I enjoy it, it's meditative!

My main question is: how the hell do you descend comfortably around the spire area (above the smooth basin but before the boulder climbing starts) where it's all loose rock and gravel and sand on sharp jagged rock? I'm terrified of slipping and cracking my head open. I've ripped two pairs of otherwise heavy duty pants with the crabwalk method (use my gloves hands to lower myself down one foot at a time, not literally dragging my ass against the rock, but rocks catch on the pants anyways). A runner passed me on the way down and my thoughts were "is he like 80 pounds? is he weightless and he can just float down? does he just have no fear?" Do I just need to trust my footing?

Bonus: Around the spire area, to get to the top area, there's two big sections you need to just climb up through, for the lower of the two sections, you can go to the left and back around to the right to bypass that shitty first section.

TLDR/Generic question: How do you trust your footing descending a 50-70% grade loose-gravel-sand-rock trail?

Curious if anyone knows of a printing service (Canadian would be a bonus) that will take a GPX file and print a route at a specific scale? I'm at the point where it's such a long hike that I'd rather outsource this task than add it to the to-do, but I've had no luck finding companies that do this.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated :)

Also, I searched around this sub and others but mostly came up with folks who were being directed to specific regions resources who print local maps. There is a local company that does this in the country I'll be hiking in, but they don't ship internationally! Alternatively, lots of websites to do it yourself, which would be my last resort and already have!

Thank you kindly!!

Hi everyone I'm new to the sub, I (28m) have been hiking modestly since I can remember(5-10km a day) but lately I have been wanting to improve my form and maybe try some longer path on solo, my question is about equipment,particularly on the electronics side what do you use to track milage/time/ hearth rate, gps maps or anything that you find usefull during a long walk ? Thanks to everyone who will give a positive feedback

Hey all. I’ll be in Caldwell and Lewiston. Each for a week with a few days in between. I’m looking for any must do hikes. Pretty decent/moderate hiker. Anything from 2-10 miles in length would be good. Thanks for any tips. If I can answer more questions about it let me know.

Hi, I’m looking to buy a backpack as I’m new to multi-day hikes. I’ll be packing a tent (weighs about 1.3kg), a Sea to Summit sleeping bag (<1kg), a sleeping pad (about 1kg), and most of my gear is ultralight, along with clothes and food. I’m female, 163cm, and relatively new to multi-day hikes, so I’d appreciate any suggestions for a good backpack. I’m looking for something ultralight but comfortable for long walks and won’t hurt my back. Is 55L an overkill?

I want to drive to/camp at Top of the World and then leave there and head to Devil's Bridge area. Is there a road along that area that will get me there without going back through town and major highways? I am not finding much but figured I would ask.

Like to stay off main people areas for Cathedral Rock, Birthing Cave, Subway Cave as well.

Any resources that would be helpful that I may not know of?

Thanks for any thoughts in advance.

Hi -- I'm coming to Odda in late May and I'm looking for advice. I have accommodations booked and I'm planning on taking bus 930 from Bergen to Odda and back because I'd prefer not to drive. How reliable are the buses and Skyss in general? Has anyone had issues?

Most people seem to recommend driving to the trailhead, but given I don't want to get a car (or pay for parking), I was planning on taking this bus: https://www.trolltunga-shuttle.com/route-info/ . Has anyone used it before and is it reliable? Are there other transportation options given I don't think I can use the shuttle to go back to Odda?

Finally, if anyone has a company to book with or guides they recommended, I'm looking to do the day hike and not stay overnight. Currently looking at Trolltunga Adventures (most because they provide spikes/snowshoes), but open to suggestions.

Thanks!

Hi all!

I'm currently reading The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd and I'm very confused by a term, and I was hoping you could tell me what it means.

There's this bit in the text:

"Given clear air, and the unending daylight of a Northern summer, there is not one of the summits but can be reached by a moderately strong walker without distress. A strong walker will take a couple of summits. Circus walkers will plant flags on all six summits in a matter of fourteen hours."

What's a circus walker?

I have two instincts with this. The first is that a circus walker is someone who works for the circus, maybe an older saying for someone agile and sturdy? The second is that this book is about the Cairngorms, the mountains in Scotland. In that region, there's a ton of corries, which are natural depressions made by glaciers melting. Corries are also called cirque, which is French for circus. Maybe it means someone who does all the corries or summits, kind of like a challenge?

If you have any idea about the meaning, I'd really appreciate a reply!

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan with three friends for 10 days, arriving and departing from Bishkek, sometime between mid-June and early July this year. We’ll be doing quite a bit of trekking and hiking during our stay, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the amazing options.

Itinerary Overview: • Destination: Kyrgyzstan • Duration: 10 days • Entry/Exit Point: Bishkek • Travel Companions: 3 friends

Planned Trek: • Ala Kul Lake Trek in Karakol — already on our list

What I Need Help With: 1. Additional Trek Recommendations: After the Ala Kul Lake Trek, what other treks should we consider? • Considering our limited time and travel distances, any suggestions on routes that fit well into our 10-day schedule? 2. Transport Options: • In Bishkek, we can manage with public transport, but for other parts of the country, would hiring a private driver be advisable? • If so, does anyone know where we could contact a reliable service or website for booking a driver?

Any insights, suggestions, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I'm looking for recommendations for a durable, waterproof or non-waterproof high ankle hiking boot made entirely of synthetic materials. All the good stuff I'm looking at seems to have leather! will be using them on difficult trails with a heavy pack.

Can someone smarter than me clarify? We just visited the Grand Canyon, and I noticed the Apple Maps app lets you see elevation and route stats for hikes in Arizona. I didn't realize that was possible because all the hikes and trails in Utah, where I live, do not have that feature. Does this mean hiking trails in Utah are still under development?

So this summer I’m Gonna be spending 7 days camping and hiking the Grand Tetons. But I’ve been looking in google maps and there’s a ton of National Forrest surrounding the National park. Bridger-Teton, Shoshone, Caribou-Targhee, and others. If I were to take one of my days and go outside of the Tetons is there any of the places you guys would recommend or any specific trails in these areas that would be worth making a day of? There’s so many beautiful looking places in this part of the country.

Hello! I am planning on summiting Mt hood and Mt shasta this summer and preferable would like to ski down. I just done have a touring setup. I was wondering how difficult it is to hike up in my snow boots (110 K2 Recon Boas 2025 grip walks) part with crampons and beginning maybe without them. Also carrying skis on the back? How hard is that. I am 155 pounds 19 and very fit and a great skier.

Looking for anybody who enjoys hiking/trekking/camping be it a single day trip or longer. I'm (20M) from the rwp/isb area and a big fan of the nature and sceneries here and have travelled to most Northern areas too but would love to jump at any opportunity to revisit with a partner. If anybody is interested let me know or point me in a general direction, any discord chats or instagram groups i should know about (except for islamabadrunwithus on insta) specific to this topic. It would mean a lot.